Aeroplane and wing therefor



T. P. BROOKE.

AEROPLANE AND WING THEREFOR.

APPLHIATION FILED MAR. 10, 1911.

1,325,137. I Patented Dec. 16,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET T. P. BROOKE.

AEROPLANE AND WING THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 10. um.

1,.3259137. Patented Dec116,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 lnxye/rz/tor 17mm]? 57001 66. 3/ 4,. n4

T. P. BROOKE. AEROPLANE AND wme THEREFOR."

APPLICATION FILED MAR.10. 1917- I Patented Dec. 16,1919.

1 HUI. 1i W k Thoffimoka UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

THOMAS P. BROOKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BROOKE AIRCRAFTCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

AEROPLANE AND WING THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.- Patented Dec 16, -1919 Applicationfiled March 10, 1917. Serial No. 153,801.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS P. BROOKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county'of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes and \VingsTherefor, and one of the objects of the present invention is to improve,simplify, and strengthen the construction of the wing, with a view toincreasing to a maximum its efliciency, as well as the d1- rectionalstability and safety thereof, and at the same time develop in the wings1nherent tractor force of soaring birds, whereby the wing will have anupward and for-f ward pull while in flight, thereby reducing to aminimum the power necessary to propel the machine.

A further object is to provide improved means for overcoming excessivedan erous oscillation of the machine, and for preventing the upsettingthereof by wind pressure, while in flight.

To the attainment of these ends and the proved machine of thischaracter, con

structed in accordance with the of this invention.

Fig. 2 is aside view.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

principles Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the wing.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 55, Fig. 6.

Fig. dis a vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6, Fig. 5.

' Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line 7-7, Fig. 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and in the presentexemplification of this invention, the numeral 10 designates enerally abody or supporting structure of t e machine. Projecting laterally fromopposite sides of the body are planes or wings,

designated. generally by the reference numeral 11 in Fig. 1, and theseplanes are arranged one above the other on opposite sides of themachineand supported by suitable uprights 12, the planes or wings beingarranged so as to form upward and rearward dihedral angles.

By the use of the rearward dihedral angles, a greater range, or shiftingof the cen ter of gravity of the machine may be :obtained withoutaffecting the longitudinal stability of the machine.

The wings or planes 11 are of a single surface formation, with bothfaces constructed on the same curves, parallel and close together sothat the entire wing will be thin and at the same time light, rigid andstrong in construction, that is to say,

. each of the wings embodies a body portion comprising a frame 13 havingbraces or ribs 14: incorporated therein and which ribs are parallelandextend across the frame, and to the lower face of this frame, thusformed, a rigid wing surface 15 is secured. In order to produce suchrigidity and at the same time produce a wing body which will not bedistorted or change its form after 7 once being shaped, so as to alwaysinsure a maximum and uniform eiiiciency,-the wings and surfaces arepreferably of a veneer construction.

Each wing surface comprises a series of laminae, the outer laminae beingconstructed Preferably of tough paper or any other fibrous material,while the inner lamina is preferably constructed of fabric.

All of these parts are firmly secured together by suitablefasteningmeans, such as glue, oe-

ment or the like, and result in a constructlon which possesses as nearlyas possible,

1 the rigidity of metal.

With this construction itv will be manifest that an effective andrigidgsurface wing may be produced and is more advantageous than a softdistortable surface, such as fabric or the like inasmuch as any soft ordistortable surface by being distorted loses a greater part of itsefficiency. 7

The wings orplanes are so shaped that an upward and forward pull will beexerted at the front 'of the wing, while the rear of the wing is shapedso that in conjunction with the rearward dihedral angle thereof, the

action of the air on the rear portion of the wing will under certainconditions cause the wing to automatically aright itself. To accomplishthis the front of the wing is shaped to preferably form a substantiallydegree are of a true circle as designated at 19, in Fig. 4, the chord 20of this arc is of a length substantially equal to one fourth of the wingchord. From the end 21 of the arc chord, the Wing extends at a tangentand substantially straight, as at 22, to a distance substantially twicethe length of the chord 20 of the are 19, and terminates in a slightnegative up-turned curve 23, forming a rigid up-turned portion, theleading and trailing edges of the wing being rigid and all combined toproduce an upward llfi'. and forward pull representing the inherenttractor force of soaring birds and also imparting a self righting actionto the wing. This structure also imparts to the wing a further andgreater lifting capacity from the impact of the air currents on theunder face of the tangent or straight portion 22 of the wing, while thenegative curve 23 serves the function of balancing or automaticallyrighting the wing.

It will be noted that by this constructlon of wing surface, there willbe provided a deep camber close to'the leading edge of the wing on theunder side thereof and wh ch extends uniformly throughout the entirelength of the wing, with the result that the air currents will bedeflected upwardly at a sharp angle. This will cause an area of lowpressure or partial vacuum to be formed above and close to the leadingedge of the wing, thereby causing the wing to be drawn or sucked in anupward and forward direction, thereby reducing to a minimum the power orforce necessary to propel the machine.

By virtue of the rearward dihedral angle of the wings, the entireupturned or negative rigid curved portions of the rear of the wing standback of the meta-center of the machine.

Should the propelling force for any rea shape and arrangement of thewings, automatically assume a forward gliding angle and the machine willbe drawn forwardly and downwardly by the force of gravity ,...wingse"-"with ever increasing speed until the'p'ressure of the horizontal aircurrents upon the rigid upturned rear portion of the wings, and aileronswhich have by such action of I the machine been elevatedto be presentedto a greater angle to the horizontal air currents, automatically depressthe rear of the wings, turning about the lateral axis of the machine, toelevate the leading edges of the wings, to cause the wings to bereturned to a horizontal position.

The momentum gained by this gliding action is expended in a forward andhorizontal direction, and the above action is repeated until the machinereaches the ground.

The lateral stability or self righting effect is produced in the wingsby the use of a multiplicity of rigid vertical fins 24, which project ordepend from the lower face of the wing and extend entirely across theplane surface in the direction of the path of flight, while at the sametime they are spaced laterally from each other in a. directionlongitudinally of the wing as shown more clearly in Fig. 2.

The lower edges of these fins may be straight or may be made to conformto the contour of the wing.

These fins prevent the dangerous oscillation caused by the pressure ofthe wind rushing off or escaping alternately from the ends of the wingsfrom the inside and of the side gusts of air from the outside whilerushing in under the wings, which would have a tendency to upset themachine.

The fins are so arranged that when the wings are tipped laterally, thelower extremity of each fin will terminate short of the lower extremityof the next adjacent fin on the side thereof adjacent the body of themachine.

These fins form obstructions for the side gusts of air so that the aircurrents beneath the planes or wings will strike below the balancingpoint of the wings acting upon the fins to cause the planes or wings tobe lowered instead of raised, thereby overcoming the dangerousoscillation of the machine and the tendency of the side gustsofv air toupset the machine. The fins also serve to increase the directionalstability of v the machine and prevent skidding or sideslipping of themachine during the turning thereof.

The lateral stability or self righting action of the wings is obtainedby these fins in conjunction with the short downwardly curved portion atthe top of the leading edge of the wings, as any sudden gusts of wind pv v, attacking--the wing from the side, will, son fail, the machine,will by virtue "of this owing to the backward dihedral angle of theturned edge of the wing and will assist the fins in preventing therising action of the Arranged below the upper wing, spaced for anydesirable distance therefrom and disposed intermediate the upper andlowerwings and on each side of the machine, adjacent the rear of thewings is an aileron designated generally 'by the reference numeral 25having a slight upward curve at the rear thereof, which curve is ofsubstantially the same contour as the rear of the Wing. This aileron ispivotally supported as at 26 and'is adapted to be moved freely aboutthepivot so as to raise its rear edge in any suitable 1 and it will alsobe seen that it is impossible for the rear edge of the aileron to movehe.

end is anchored as at 32 to a fixed support;

It will thus be seen that whenever it is desired to move the aileronabout its pivot and from the position shown in full lines to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the operator actuates thecontrolling wheel 29,

low the normal horizontal plane of the aileron. This aileron iscounterbalanced to permit of easy operation. By the-provision of thisaileron having a slight upward curve,

a'continued downward or negative pressure at the rear or trailing endthereof Wlll be maintained and the ailerons by being stopped in theirdownward movement will be rigid. With this construction and arrangementof aileron, the outer or fast traveling wing or plane, in turning, willbe unobstructed, that is, there will be no additional drag upon the Wingas heretofore, thereby allowing the machine to turn on a short curve ormore level keel-than'heretofore. This is due to the fact thatin turning,the inner aileron or the aileron adjacent the point of turning is raisedwith respect to its wing to cause the air pressure to depress that wing,causing the high wing to be unobstructed while the drag will be exerted-on the inner or lower wing.

The body 10 of the machine is constructed to produce a limousine effect,the front end thereof being rounded and the rear being tapered laterallyas shown more clearly in The top and bottom of the body at the front endthereof are inclined toward each other as at 10 and 10", as shown moreclearly in Fig. 6, for deflecting the air currents while the machine isin-flight. The body is divided by -means of a partiti0n33 into aa ppassenger compartment 34: and a motor com- Themotor compartment isprovided with a partition 38 which supports the motor cylinders .39. thelatter being superposed vertically and being provided with an outercasing spaced from the cylinder proper and the other chamber.

having longitudinally disposed 4O arranged within the space betweenthemotor cylinders and casing to form air passages extending lengthwiseof the engine cylinder for cooling the same. The compartment 35 isprovided with air inlet openings 41 disposed to project below:v thebottom of the body so that outside air currents will enter thecompartment 35.

The air passages formed by the fins l0 along the engine cylinders formthe only source of communication between the chambers formed by thepartition 38 in the engine compartment, so that the air currentsentering the openings 41 will flow from one of the chambers along theair passages of the engine cylinders into the other chamber and Wlll bedischarged through openings 42 which constitute the outlet passages fromA vertical shaft 43 is drivenby the engine and the shaft is providedwith a bevel gear 44,, which meshes with a gear 45 secured to ahorizontal shaft 46 of the propeller $7. This propeller 47 is located onthe outside of the body in the angle formed by the wings and adjacentthe openings 42, and not only serves the purpose of propelling themachine, but operates to cause a suction through the openings 42 toinduce the circulation of air into the openings all across the enginecylinders and out of the openings 42 to cool the engine.

The passenger compartment 3% is provided withdoors 48 to permit ingressand egress, and also windows 49.

i/Vhat is claimed as new is:

'1. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having a rigid thinsurface, the front portion of the wing describing substantially aseventy degree are of a true circle.

2. A single thin surface wing for aircrafts' and the like, said wingforming an arc of a true circle at its forward edge to a point short ofthe center of the wing chord, the rear edge of the wing terminating in arigid negative curve, the intermediate portion of the wing beingarranged atatangent to the arc.

3. A single thin surface wing for aircrafts and the like, said wingforming an arc of a true circle at its forward edge to a point short ofthe center of the wing chord, the rear edge of the wing terminating in arigid negative curve, the intermediate portion of the wing beingarranged at a tangent to the arc, the said are extending uniformlythroughout the entire length of the wing.

4. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formedof a rigid thin surface structure, the faces of the said surface beingparallel, the front of the wing to a point short of the center of thewing chord, being shaped to form an arc of a true circle, and the rearof the Wing short of the center of the wing chord, being formed on arigid curve opposite to the curve of the front of the wing, the portionof the wing intermediate the said curved portions being arranged tangentto the are at the front of the wing.

5. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formedof a rigid thin surface, the front of the wing for a distancesubstantially one fourth of the wing chord being constructed to form anarc of a true circle, the portion of the body adjacent the are beingformed at atangent to the are for a distance substantially equal totwice the length of the chord of the arc, and the rear of the wingadjacent such tangential portion of the are being formed on a rigidnegative curve.

'6. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formedof a rigid thin surface, the front of the wing for a distancesubstantially one fourth of the wing chord being constructed to form anarc of a true circle, the portion of the body adjacent the are beingformed on a tangent to the are for a distance substantially equal totwice the length of the chord of the arc, the rear of i the wingadjacent such tangential portion and for substantially a distance equalto the chord of the are being formed on a rigid negative curve, and acurved aileron pivot-- ally arranged in a plane different from the planeof the wing and cooperating with the wing.

TA wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formed of.a rigid thin surface, the front of the wing for a distance substantiallyone fourth of the wing chord being constructed to form an arc of a truecircle, the portion of the body adjacent the are being formed on atangent to the are for a distance substantially equal to twice thelength of the chord of the arc, the rear of the wing adjacent suchtangential portion and for substantially a distance equal to the chordof the are being formed on a rigid negative curve, and a counterbalancedand curved rigidly constructed aileron pivotally arranged in a planedifferent from the plane of the wing and cooperatin with the wing.

8. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formedof a single rigid surface, the rear edge of said wings being formed in arigid negative curve, and a counterbalanced upwardly curved and rigidaileron adjacent said edges spaced from and disposed in a planedifferent from the plane of the wing and cooperating with the said wing.

9. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having its body formedof a single rigid surface, the rear edge of said wings being formed on arigid negative curve, a counterbalanced aileron adjacent said edgesspaced from and disposed in a plane ditferent from the plane of the wingand cooperating with the said wing and a stop for limiting the downwardmovement of the outer end of the aileron.

10. The combination of spaced superposed wings, the rear edges of thewings being formed on a rigid negative curve. and a pivotally mountedupwardly curved and rigid aileron disposed adjacent said edgesintermediate and spaced from both of said wings.

11. The combination of spaced superposed wings, a pivotally mountedupwardly curved rigid aileron disposed intermediate and spaced from'bothof the wings, and means operating as a stop for holding the aileronagainst movement below a substantially horizontal plane.

12. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having a rigid thinsurface, the front portion of the wing adjacent the leading edgedescribing an arc of a true circle, the rear of the wing describing arigid negative curve, the intermediate portion of the wing beingstraight and arranged at a tangent to the arc, and fins depending belowthe lower face of the wing and spaced laterally in a directionlengthwise of the wing.

13. A wing for aircrafts and the like, said wing having'a rigid thinsurface, the front portion of the wing adjacent the leading the are, andrigid fins depending below the lower face of the wing in the directionof flight of the wing, said fins extending entirely across the wing faceand being spaced laterally from each other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 6th day of March, A. D.1917.

THOMAS P. BROOKE. Witnesses:

IRMA M. BARING, J. F. JoAoHUM, Jr.

